Formosa \Formosa\ prop. n.
An island off the coast of China, also called Taiwan. It
was occupied by Japan from 1895 to 1945, when it was returned
to Chinese sovereignty. After the Communist revolution which
took over the Chinese mainland in 1949, the Nationalist
Chinese under Chang Kai-Shek retreated to the island of
Formosa and established that island as the base of their
government, being recognized for several years as the de jure
possessor of the China seat in the United Nations. The
capital is Taipei. As of 1998, both the Taiwan government and
the mainland China government recognized Taiwan as properly a
part of China, but the island is currently ruled as a de
facto independent nation, though it does not possess a seat
in the United Nations. The question of when and under what
circumstances the island will be reunited with the mainland
government is still unresolved.
Syn: Taiwan.
[PJC]

Taiwan
n 1: a government on the island of Taiwan established in 1949 by
Chiang Kai-shek after the conquest of mainland China by the
Communists led by Mao Zedong [syn: Taiwan, China,
Nationalist China, Republic of China]
2: an island in southeastern Asia 100 miles off the coast of
mainland China in the South China Sea [syn: Taiwan,
Formosa]